Amateur-built DOMINATOR accident near Quincy, Florida, January 18, 1996
On January 18, 1996 at about 8:30 pm local time, a amateur-built DOMINATOR (gyroplane), registered UNREG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Quincy, Florida. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a partial loss of engine power due to fuel contamination, and the pilot-in-command's improper decision to land with a tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 18, 1996 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Quincy, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DOMINATOR
- Registration
- UNREG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The CFI stated that during takeoff the gyroplane's engine ran rough. He returned to the airport, checked the plugs, and cleaned the fuel filter of contaminant that was found. On the second takeoff the engine ran fine. About 30 minutes into the flight the engine began to lose power. The pilot made a downwind precautionary landing to a field. During the landing the nose gear buckled, and the main rotor blades, propeller, and airframe were damaged.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: gyroplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: gyroplane
- Flight time: 1,380 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 1,276 as pilot in command; 630 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 100 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Amw A700HB4 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2J9 FL at 8:00 pm
- Destination: OJ9 Blountstown FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 13 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:59 pm from TLH, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under UNREG the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.